‘Energy deficit to hit industrial production in May-June’

New Delhi, April 17 (IANS) Industrial production in the northern and western regions is likely to decline nearly 30 percent in May and June due to a worsening power deficit, said a report by an industry lobby released Friday. Currently, according to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), industrial units in the region do not receive 18 percent of the power they require.

This is likely to cross 25 percent in May and June, the report said. “The transmission and distribution losses in the northern and western regions have touched around 50 percent amounting to huge power shortages,” the report said.

In a communication to the power ministry and the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat has demanded transmission and distribution lines be repaired.

In Delhi, Punjab and Haryana, transmission and distribution losses are estimated around 40 percent.

Rawat said Assocham members from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa have complained that they may have to curtail production by over 30 percent due to inconsistent power supplies even during peak hours.

In the first half of April, industrial units in the region curtailed production by 18-20 percent.

Maharashtra, one of India’s most industrialised states, faces an energy deficit of up to 20 percent and six-seven hours of power cuts daily.